About Angel Street

"Angel Street," also known as "Gas Light," is a Victorian thriller by Patrick Hamilton about a husband who manipulates his wife into believing she is losing her mind, while a police inspector investigates a past murder in the same house. 

 

Here's a more detailed synopsis:

The play is set in 19th-century London, at the home of Jack and Bella Manningham on Angel Street.  Jack Manningham, a seemingly kind and charming man, slowly drives his wife, Bella, to the brink of insanity through subtle manipulation and gaslighting.  Jack subtly creates situations that make Bella question her sanity, such as objects disappearing, gas lights dimming, and her hearing footsteps upstairs when she is alone.  While Jack is out, Bella receives a visit from Inspector Rough, a police officer who believes Jack is a homicidal maniac suspected of a murder committed in the same house fifteen years earlier.  The house was previously occupied by Alice Barlow, a wealthy woman who was murdered for her jewels, and Inspector Rough believes Jack is the murderer who is now trying to dispose of Bella to cover his tracks.  As Inspector Rough's investigation progresses, Bella begins to realize the truth about her husband's actions and the danger she is in. The play is famous for giving rise to the term "gaslighting," which describes a form of psychological abuse where someone is manipulated into doubting their own sanity. 

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